um... another Frocktober

This dress was scheduled for completion for the first week in December, until Thursday, when my little princess advised me of a slight scheduling adjustment.  Instead of the first weekend in December, could she possibly wear it this weekend?

Being an absolute sucker, I dropped everything else and got stuck in. 

I had planned to do this dress for her following Susan Khalje's Craftsy course.  I had already been through the muslin stage and fitted it on her, but had got no further, since she hadn’t chosen a fabric. 

Having a well-fitting muslin meant that when she arrived on Friday for the final fitting and length consultation, I had made pretty good progress, and we managed to get it finished in time for her to go out for the evening.  

Obviously there was no way I was going to be able to use the couture methods with this time frame, so I reverted to the pattern instructions.  The only concession to couture was inserting the zip by hand.  I didn’t want to use an invisible zip as she wanted the bodice very snug.  It would be a shame to have the zip go early in the evening and spoil the effect of what is a stunning dress.

I had also intended to use the hemming tape that Susan K suggested, but I couldn’t find any.  I tried four different shops and only one of them even knew what I was talking about.

I will continue to search and as a temporary measure I used iron on hemming tape!  I know, it seems like cheating, but it did give the hem a little extra body that really worked for this dress.   

As soon as I can find the real stuff the dress will be recalled for improvement!

Instead of ordinary lining, I used  cotton poplin, as she will be wearing this dress in warm weather, and I can’t imagine ordinary lining being at all comfortable.  I also only lined the bodice section.

I’m actually very pleased with the result, and so was my "little princess".  The dress looks stunning despite the last minute scheduling adjustment.  I even managed to get back to the jumpsuit that I planned to wear on Saturday evening ( I realise that this is a strange concept to anyone under 20, but I did actually have plans of my own for the weekend other than sewing for my off-spring).